Questlove And Chromeo’s Dave 1 Party For ‘Seeds Of Peace’ Benefit

Questlove might be one of the hardest working men in show business, but despite his hectic schedule, if there’s a party with a purpose, you can bet that he’ll be there rocking the turntables. On Wednesday night (March 14), Seeds of Peace held their annual “Peace Market” event to raise money for the charity (which works to bring together children from vastly different backgrounds) and Questlove dropped in for a DJ set along with Dave 1 of Chromeo.

The event was held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City, with attendees that included Miss Universe and Miss USA, but the entertainment was key. Dave 1 of Chromeo rocked the party before Questlove took over the turntables, and he told RapFix why it meant so much for him to be involved. “I actually wanted to do it last year–they wanted us to do a live show, but doing a live Chromeo show is really complicated logistically because there’s so much equipment,” he said. “At least DJing, I told them it wouldn’t cost anything and I’ll do it because it’s a great cause.”

“With us being a Jew and an Arab it makes sense for us to be involved here,” he added, referring to himself and his partner P-Thugg. “I wish we could do more stuff like this. When we’re on tour we can have all the best intentions in the world but you never have the leisure to do charity or benefit events and this is a cause that matches us perfectly and I’m thrilled to be involved.”

We also got a chance to chat with Seeds of Peace graduate Yaara Owayyed, who says the program helped her to overcome the difficulties of growing up as a Palestinian in Israel. “I was first introduced to Seeds of Peace in 9th grade, when I was the only Palestinian in my high school class of 300 kids in Jerusalem,” she explained. “It was pretty tough being the only Palestinian there, in the sense that I had no friends that understood me. It was hard at the time but because of Seeds of Peace, I am where I am today.”

“I was very frustrated and angry at my classmates for treating me in a very racist way,” she continued. “A lot of times they would not talk to me just because I’m Arab. I felt ashamed and thought, ‘maybe it’s bad that I’m Arab and Palestinian,’ but going to Seeds of Peace, where I was in a safe environment and was allowed to speak what I really think–it helped me to heal from the anger I felt towards my classmates. I also discovered who I am as an Israeli and Palestinian and realized that the two don’t contradict each other.”